The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Françoise GROSSETÊTE (EPP-ED, FR), and made some amendments to the proposal for a regulation setting up the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (IMI JU).
The main amendments were as follows:
The creation of the Joint Undertaking: the Joint Undertaking is set up for a period ending on 31 December 2013. Work in progress may nonetheless continue until 31 December 2017. The IMI Joint Undertaking is a body as referred to in Article 185 of the Financial Regulation and Point 47 of the IIA of 17 May 2006.
Objectives: the Joint Undertaking must focus, above all, on the research to be carried out exclusively in the Member States and the countries associated with the Seventh Research Framework Programme. MEPs specified that the running costs of the Joint Undertaking shall not exceed 4% of the total budget.
SMEs: in pursuit of the objectives of the Specific Programme Cooperation, the IMI Joint Undertaking should make provision for boosting SME participation, inter alia by improving administrative procedures, taking their requirements more fully into account and deploying support measures.
Financial Regulation: the financial rules applicable to the IMI Joint Undertaking should not depart from Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No. 2343/2002 on the framework Financial Regulations for the Community bodies, unless their specific operating needs so require. The budgetary authority shall be informed of such derogations.
External auditor: the IMI Joint Undertaking shall appoint an external auditor in order to verify the fairness and accuracy of the annual accounts drawn up by the Joint Undertaking. The external auditor shall be responsible for ensuring satisfactory scrutiny of the annual accounts and the evaluation of the contributions made by the members and by the participants in the research projects. The IMI Joint Undertaking may make use of ad hoc external audits. The European Parliament shall be entitled to scrutinise the annual accounts of the IMI Joint Undertaking.
Personnel: the IMI Joint Undertaking shall recruit its staff in accordance with applicable regulations of the host country. The Commission may second to the IMI Joint Undertaking as many officials as may be needed. Parliament deleted references to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities being applicable to the IMI Joint Undertaking.
Report: no later than 31 December 2011, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and to the Council an interim evaluation of the IMI Joint Undertaking. By 31 December 2013 or, if work in progress continues beyond that date, by 31 December 2017, the Commission shall conduct a final evaluation of the IMI Joint Undertaking.
Members also introduced the following amendments in the annexes:
- information on projects must be available on the Internet;
- the bodies of the IMI JU shall be the Board, the Executive Director and the Scientific Committee (it is inconsistent to create an Executive Office);
- the total number of votes held by new Members may not exceed the total number of votes held by the Founding Members;
- there should be no provision for proxy voting;
- three Members of the European Parliament shall attend meetings as observers and shall be invited by the Board. The European Parliament shall be consulted on any important changes to the JU’s statutes;
- the evaluation of proposals shall establish whether the funds requested are commensurate with the work involved in carrying out the project;
- the Executive Director shall present the annual activity report to the European Parliament;
- Parliament deleted a clause stating that the members of the staff of the IMI Joint Undertaking shall be temporary agents and contract agents and shall have fixed term contracts extendable once up to a maximum total period of seven years;
- annual scientific and financial reports on the projects supported shall be submitted to the IMI Joint Undertaking by the participants. Such reports shall give details of the research activities carried out and the costs of such activities. Statements of expenditure shall be accompanied by an audit certificate. The external auditor shall examine the audit certificates and determine whether the in kind contributions match the contributions from public funds to the project;
- the European Parliament must be consulted on amendments to the Statutes;
- project participants should establish any cases of co-ownership of intellectual property arising from projects;
- lastly, a host agreement shall be concluded between the IMI Joint Undertaking and Belgium.